Zainab Bangura and Afsatu Kabbah are heroines

When I read the Article published by the S.L. Standard Times,  … Fishermen Union Shame Marine Minister, it doesn’t diminish my respect for the news media, but I asked that they do a better job of educating us the readers. We need to know our fine contributing writers. It also gives us solace to know that these editors (CEO’s) are fully aware of the laws which governed the internet i.e. ‘Defamation of character’ is a qualified court offence. These laws are recognized world wide.Whatever happens to investigative journalism?  As I watch the spate of attacks on our honorable female ministers I am left with no choice but to pen down these few observations. This bias reporting is diminishing the profession in some sectors in a period which stand out as the period of exorbitant improvement in the journalism industry. 

 PHOTO : FOREIGN MINISTER ZAINAB BANGURA

Whatever happens to investigative journalism?  As I watch the spate of attacks on our honorable female ministers I am left with no choice but to pen down these few observations. This bias reporting is diminishing the profession in some sectors in a period which stand out as the period of exorbitant improvement in the journalism industry. 

 Among the many men and women whom I adore these two government officials must be equally commended for their braveness and commitment for promoting the positive attitudinal changes embarked by the president Dr. Ernest B. Koroma.
Few months ago the zealot’s journalists maligned the Foreign Minister Hon. Zainab Bangura, who honorably came out of their baseless accusations with flying colors. Because she is simply carrying forward the changes which are currently bringing sizable respect for our nation. The readers and spectators are fully aware that there are a few Sierra Leoneans who will feel threatened and will fight to resist the changes these honorable men and women of the All People Congress Party (APC) administration are promoting.

The Hon. Afsatu Kabba must be equally commended, because she is a patriotic Sierra Leonean who stands for principles. If her strong position to make sure her ministry collects revenue to support the smooth running of the state (Sierra Leone) can anger certain sector of our population I will say, ‘Move on Girl’.

  PHOTO : FISHERIES MINISTER AFSATU KABBA

The African female politicians need no more intimidation and harassment than they have already experienced in their daily existence. They had been sidelined for too long. It is a shame to see egoistic and zealous journalist hounding them for their own selfish ends.
  
Women are continuously proving that they can equally compete with their male counterparts. They are becoming heavy lifters as they work alongside their male colleagues.

Journalists must maintain the good name of the profession by changing the perspective trajectory and momentum of falsely bombarding and maligning our female government officials.
It appears to be an effort to influencing the installation into office of their like kinds or friends.

Most of the current government officers who occupied those offices took over offices which were formally operated like a Son and Dad stores, with less regard for the boss. The children can take any meager amount of money from clients and hid it from the dad to buy Sneakers and Cookery. The revenue making ministries were operated like local restaurants, a trend that has drastically changed under the able leadership of Dr. Ernest B. Koroma.

Today those ministries are bringing quite substantial revenues to help run the State and everything is almost transparent.
Hon. Afsatu Kabba’s days at the Ministry of Energy and Power were very productive. She inherited a dark ministry in a dark city. It is only people who do not understand the differences between advancement and backwardness could try to convince intelligent readers and the populace that the Honorable destroyed it. Her exemplary work in that ministry was the reason she was transferred to the Ministry of Marine to bring it to par with the rest of the productive ministries.

The problem the administration is facing is that of people who prefer the old ways and are indifference to improvement, honesty and no nonsense. They bunch themselves to promote hate. While some simply have a nag to unnecessarily discredit the hard working people of our country such as the Hon Afsatu Kabba. 

Sometimes our emotions override our better judgment when it serves our purpose to an extent that we forget when they will become problematic and will hunt us in the future. It is that future some of these critics and journalist are confronted today.

These critics and journalist for the past twelve years had refused to rock the boat because they were in the boat. They can now attempt to rock and wreck a smooth sailing administration with relentless bombardment of bogus accusations.
 Every now and then these journalists consider themselves serious critics, but the electorate and readers consider them as the bunch that were in the ship whose crews first wrecked our country and our economy. They cannot change and they still prefer the old nefarious ways.

The Hon. Afsatu Kabba is creating significant enemies for turning the Fishery Ministry a money making industry instead of maintaining the status quo. This is a crime as underlined by the article’s author.  A situation wherein bribery was the norm as usual. Mr. Jose Clinton was sent on leave and some were laid off. The author did not educate us (readers)  whether the fine hard working Clintons or Mr. Clinton is 40 years old or 85 years old to let us know that all these fine Sierra Leoneans are capable of furthering these needed changes. Mrs. Afsatu Kabba as a wife and a family person is not qualified to build and live a comfortable life. Government officials should not use their hard earned money to improve their lives and families. Some less credit worthy name hiding journalist will cry that they stole or embezzled government finances.
These and other unfounded accusations revealed that the article’s author is not credible. He is bias and does not know the details of his topic, because he does not investigate and jumped into conclusions.

This is simply telling us that there are still Sierra Leoneans who are oblivious to changes and are enemies of the state. These are individuals whom pennies can buy over and character assassinates their own.
The venom released by a Sierra Leonean against another Sierra Leonean in favor of a foreign business ’fishing company’ revealed that the business and the author of this article preferred the old way of doing business i.e. bribing their way through to conduct business as usual. When these corrupt businesses are rejected they turn to hire to write journalists. But unfortunately this company got the most discredited journalist, who is even afraid to state his name.

This APC administration will refused to run this country like it was administered ten years ago. To the hard working men and women I say support our law makers. We are all proud Sierra Leoneans. We are all united by nationality and separated by political affiliations, but that is not reason enough to mortgage our country’s good character to foreigners. If this brand of baseless character assassination journalism is allowed to flourish in Sierra Leone there should be great need for concern.

 

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